The instant invention relates to model railroad track and specifically to a track joining system which securely holds two sections of track together and provides alignment therefore.
Sectional model railroad track has been constructed in a variety of forms. In the simplest form, a section of track includes a pair of spaced apart, electrically conductive rails and an arrangement of ties extending between the rails, the ties being joined together to form the track section into the desired configuration, i.e., straight, or curved with a variety of radii.
Another form of sectional track includes the aforementioned elements which are secured to a section of roadbed to eliminate the necessity of laying a separate roadbed and then laying the sectional track on top thereof.
The simplest joining system consists of the positioning of a track connector, or fishplate, at the ends of the conductive rails. The connectors take the form of a thin piece of metal, which is formed substantially into a C-shape, and which is placed on the rail extending under the bottom side thereof and around a flange at the base of the rail. The only purpose of the connectors is to provide electrical continuity between two sections of track. The connectors are not intended to provide a physical restraining system for the track, and, although the connectors will prevent lateral movement of track sections relative to one another, they will do very little to prevent longitudinal movement which is required to keep the track sections from separating from one another.
The connectors are rather delicate objects, particularly in the smaller gauges (N scale and smaller). The connectors are frequently secured to the rails, one connector being secured to one of the rails at one end of the section and another connector being secured to the opposing rail at the other end of the section. The connectors extend beyond the ends of the rails, and as such, are subject to impact which may result in disfiguration, following which the connectors may not be operational to join sections of tracks and to provide an electrical connection therebetween. Because the connectors are easily damaged or distorted, assembly of sectional track must be performed by a person having a high degree of manual dexterity. Conventional track is not suitable for use by children and is difficult to manipulate for some adults.
When such track is assembled and disassembled, there is frequently lateral movement of the track sections relative one another. This results in an enlargement of the connector, which in turn results in poor electrical connection between track sections upon reassembly. Poor electrical connection between track sections will result in poor operation of the model trains which are run on the track.
Although some forms of joining systems have been developed which provide for the longitudinal and lateral alignment of sectional track, known systems involve complex structures which are difficult to form and which are not easily injection molded.